Blog

Finding Your Tribe 12/19/2016 10:28:00 AM by: Katy Kauffman

Like-minded people. We need them. We have more gusto in life when we have friends of like mind and heart who are following God and doing the same kind of work we’re doing. As a writer, do you have a “tribe?”

When I attended my first writers conference, I was so shy I didn’t make many new friends. My family discovered the conference just two weeks before it began, and I didn’t know what to expect. At meals, I sat with my family instead of venturing off and meeting new people. We did talk with the folks at our table, but I could have been more adventurous. The next year I was.

I didn’t know at that first conference (which was 8 years ago) that God would call me to be a Bible study writer. I didn’t know that my family would start a publishing company and an online magazine. I didn’t know that in 2014, my mom and I would start a Facebook group for Bible study writers which now has 102 members. I didn’t even realize I needed a tribe, but I’m so glad I have one.

Writing can be solitary, but we don’t have to climb the mountain of publishing alone. As Christian writers, we operate with the same mind and heart—to share the message of God’s truth and love through the written word. Our message finds new mediums as we build our platform on social media and as we speak to writers groups or churches. When we find people who have the same love for writing and even write in our specific genre, we realize we don’t have to write alone. We don’t have to build the daunting platform alone. We have people, and they have us. We’re in this together.

In the beginning of my writing journey, I thought there weren’t many Bible study writers. Especially locally. But through writers conferences and Facebook and Twitter, I discovered just how many Bible study writers and devotional writers exist. The number of women who have a writing and speaking ministry astounds me. I am connected to many of them online. We can be a collective force for good in the world. We can write for God together.

If you’re headed to the Florida Christian Writers Conference for the first time, don’t be afraid of meeting new people. You never know who may end up becoming one of your best writing buddies. And if you’re a veteran, be refreshed in spending time with your tribe, and find more people to bring into it.

If you’re a devotional or Bible study writer, I want to meet you at the 2017 FCWC. (And even if you’re not, it’s fun to connect and swap business cards.) I am teaching a workshop called “How to Make Scripture Come Alive in Your Writing.” In this class, you’ll not only find your tribe, but you’ll discover ten ways to write about God’s Word with richness, vitality, and everyday relevance. We’ll discuss how to write about the life-changing application of Scripture in such a way that readers will remember it and live it out.

Renew your gusto for writing by finding like-minded people who love God and love people. You’re likely to discover writing comrades who will become treasures and sources of inspiration for a lifetime. See you there!